The Healer and the Heiress
by datbenik513
Summary: Months after the Battle, life is getting back to normal, when three Hogwarts students start having strange dreams. That night changes the lives of all of them. Are they up to their new challenges? What does the future bring to them?
1. Prologue

_Here they stand brothers them all  
All the sons divided they'd fall  
Here await the birth of a son  
The seventh, the heavenly, the chosen one  
_  
Pansy Parkinson had a restless night. She dreamt of wet, dark dungeons, water dripping from the ceilings and walls. She dreamt of snakes hissing on the floor, baring their venomous teeth. She dreamt of red, blue and green jets of lights flashing in the dungeons, blasting huge pieces of rock from the walls upon contact with them.

Then, she woke in cold sweat with a scream. It took her several minutes to realize where she was. Then she looked around. Will was lying besides her in the four-poster, sleeping deeply. Will was her boyfriend… and a Muggle. Of course Draco Malfoy would have been a better party, her parents would have been more than happy to see her being married to the only heir to one of the oldest and wealthiest wizarding families. Destiny, however, was not her best friend this time. That stupid ass betrayed her, broke all contact with her and all his Slytherin friends after his trial. Draco was accused being a Death Eater, of which charge he was cleared, but for some of his other activities he was sentenced to five years probation. "Can you believe this?" she thought. "The Potter gang actually _defended_ Malfoy on the trial!"

Will was a professional rugby player, six foot four, broad-shouldered, built like a Greek statue: a dream of every woman, Muggle or witch. She would dispose of him, of course, but in due time. Until then, she was determined to enjoy his brutal strength and stamina. She smiled as she recalled last night's events and lovingly caressed his black hair for a while.

The window broke open and an unusually cold wind entered the room. It circled Pansy several times and it seemed to lift her off her four-poster. She desperately tried to catch her breath, but the wind ended as unexpectedly as it began and the window slapped shut. Pansy smiled again. She understood now the meaning of her dreams. She reached for her disillusioned wand and lifted the enchantment. She pointed the wand against her left forearm. "_Morsmordre_!" she cried. She lost her consciousness from the pain as the Dark Mark was burnt into her skin, but not before she heard the high pitch laughter coming seemingly from nowhere.

_  
Here the birth from an unbroken line  
Born the healer, the seventh, this time  
Unknowingly blessed and as his life unfolds  
Slowly unveiling the power he holds_

Harry Potter had a restless night. He dreamt of wet, dark dungeons, water dripping from the ceilings and walls. He dreamt of snakes hissing on the floor, baring their venomous teeth. He dreamt of red, blue and green jets of lights flashing in the dungeons, blasting huge pieces of rock from the walls upon contact with them.

Then, he woke in cold sweat with a scream. It took him several minutes to realize where he was. Then he looked around. He was lying on his camping bed in Ron's old bedroom in the Burrow listening to the snoring of his best friend. 7 years of friendship connected them, the strongest possible friendship, having saved each others´ lives on numerous occasions in the past. They considered themselves brothers and Harry sincerely hoped one happy day they could consider themselves in-laws as well. He still didn't have the determination to propose to Ginny; too many bad things happened to all of them in the past year: the Horcrux hunt, the Battle, Fred's death and funeral, to name but a few. Life, however, was slowly becoming normal again. Harry and Ginny loved each other and their shared affection was no longer secret in the family. He had actually admitted to Arthur being deeply in love with Ginny and was pleasantly surprised with him giving his blessings, be it under certain conditions. However, both agreed it was still too early to speak of marriage.

Harry smiled as he remembered their goodnight kiss in the living room just a couple of hours earlier which earned some of the usual boo's from Ron's side and a couple of jokes from George on mini-Potters flooding the Burrow within a couple of years. Harry was the happiest of all to see George heal by the bit as he still blamed himself with Fred's death.

Suddenly the window burst open and an unusually cold wind entered the room. It circled Harry several times and it seemed to lift him off his bed. He desperately tried to catch his breath, but the wind ended as unexpectedly as it began and the window slapped shut. He reached for his wand. "_Lumos_!" he thought as he pointed the wand to his wristwatch to check the time. Nothing happened. It was still dark in the room as if someone has thrown Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder in the air. "_Lumos_!" he tried again, this time verbally. Again nothing happened. Suddenly he felt very weak as if all his energy had left him in an instant and he lost his consciousness, but not before he heard the high pitch laughter coming seemingly from nowhere.

_Then they watch the progress he makes  
The good and the evil which path will he take  
Both of them trying to manipulate  
The use of his powers before its too late_

Ginny Weasley had a restless night. She dreamt of wet, dark dungeons, water dripping from the ceilings and walls. She dreamt of snakes hissing on the floor, baring their venomous teeth. She dreamt of red, blue and green jets of lights flashing in the dungeons, blasting huge pieces of rock from the walls upon contact with them.

Then, she woke in cold sweat with a scream. It took her several minutes to realize where she was. Then she looked around. She was, of course, lying on her bed in her bedroom in the Burrow. She had to think of Harry. She smiled as she remembered their goodnight kiss just a couple of hours earlier which earned some of the usual boo's from Ron's side and a couple of jokes from George on mini-Potters flooding the Burrow within a couple of years. Ginny, however, took no notice of them; she didn't even threaten them with any of her world famous hexes. She was so much in love with Harry that the world around them ceased to exist, and she was actually pleased to hear George being his old self again, be it for moments only. She was happy, happier than ever in her entire life, having Harry so close, under the same roof, without the danger of losing him again; at the same time she still was missing Fred badly and understood all too well that life would never be the same without her brother.

The window broke open and an unusually cold wind entered the room. It circled Ginny several times and it seemed to lift her off her four-poster. Then, a similar but warm wind whirled through the window and it seemed to intertwine with the cold one, fighting it off, not letting it touch Ginny. She desperately tried to catch her breath, but the wind ended as unexpectedly as it began and the window slapped shut.

Ginny heard voices in her head repeating a phrase again and again: "…_born the Healer, the seventh, this time…"_ She felt an awkward tingling in her entire body and suddenly it was very warm. She closed her eyes for a second as if concentrating on something, then pointed with her finger to the wall clock. She suddenly realized that her body was slightly glowing in the darkness. A ray of yellow light left her finger and pointed to the clock enlightening it. Then she pointed to the door with her finger causing the door lock. She closed her eyes again and tried to understand what was happening to her. Then she opened her eyes and smiled again. She has just performed wandless magic, without any effort, without even thinking of it. Suddenly she felt a powerful energy beam entering her body, saw her glow amplify in the dark and lost consciousness, but not before she heard the high pitch scream, echoing with anger and pain, coming seemingly from nowhere.

_Today is born the seventh one  
Born of woman the seventh son  
And he in turn of a seventh son  
He has the power to heal  
He has the gift of the second sight  
He is the chosen one  
So it shall be written  
So it shall be done_

Ginny woke early in the morning and felt… strange. She felt powerful. Power radiated from her body. She took a quick shower, dressed and went down to the kitchen. Everybody was still asleep, it was just before six o`clock, so she quickly made some sandwiches (setting the knives to work by merely thinking of it) and tea (heating the water by pointing her finger to the kettle), grabbed a quick bite, put some toast, jam and tea on a tray. Then, she applied a Preserving charm on the rest and she was positively surprised that again she didn't need to use her wand, it was still in the back pocket of her jeans.

Suddenly, she recalled the events happening to her only a couple of hours before and understood that her new possibilities somehow must have been related to them. "Think, Ginny, think!" she urged herself. "You were pretty good with magic before, weren´t you? Yes, you were. Could you ever perform wandless magic? Only when you were small. Could you ever perform nonverbal magic? Nope. How come you can all of a sudden do all these things? Haven't got the faintest. Need to talk to Harry. NOW!"

She took the tray and tiptoed back upstairs to Ron and Harry's bedroom. She put one ear against the door and listened. Ron was still asleep and snoring as usual. Harry, however, was thrashing in his bed as a maniac, having what it seemed one of his nightmares, this time crying out loud, but Ginny could not make out, what he was saying.

"_Alohomora!"_ she thought and the door opened. She entered the room and put the tray down on a small table. She went up to Harry's bed. The bedclothes were drenched in cold sweat and her boyfriend was paler than pale. His eyes were open but they did not see her, they were transfixed to a point only he could see. He cried out again and this time Ginny understood him all too well. "He's back! He's not gone! It's beginning all over again!"

Ginny sat down on the bed besides him. She cupped his cheeks with her hands, closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his for a while. The same phrase appeared in her mind again: "…_born the Healer, the seventh, this time…"_ She felt sudden warmth as her hands began to glow again and the glow seemed to attach to Harry. She saw him relax on the bed and his breathing become regular and deep. He fell, finally, sound asleep. Ginny kicked off her slippers and curled up on the bed behind him, holding him in her arms.

"Don´t worry, love, I will take good care of you," she whispered and planted a loving kiss on his head as she dozed off again with the man in her hands she loved most in this world.


	2. The Weasley Family Tree, Revised

As it was Sunday, it was well into the morning when the Burrow began to stir. Strangely enough, it was Ron who woke first. He stretched on his bed and yawned, then sat up. Something was not in order, he thought. A familiar scent lingered in the room he at first couldn't place. He turned to Harry's bed and was more than surprised to find his sister curled up behind his best friend, still holding him tight in her arms. He walked up to her and shook her awake.

"Ginny, what the hell are you doing here?" he claimed, still not believing his eyes.

"A very good morning to you as well, brother," she yawned and then smiled at him.

"Get out of here, sis, and now. Mum will go ballistic if she finds you here in Harry's bed. Besides, I'm not too keen on seeing my sister in bed with my best friend," he added

"Oh, sod off, Ron! First of all, I'm almost of age…"

"You are quite right in there, ALMOST…"

"Second, you yourself were not so hypocritical two days ago when Harry slept at Grimmauld Place and your girlfriend sneaked up to your room. Do you think I didn't see Hermione checking if I was asleep before she was leaving our bedroom? And did it happen by a strange accident that some 5 minutes later an Imperturbable charm appeared to have been cast on this very same door?" she went on inquiring, and was delighted to see hem completely speechless and slowly assuming the color of a beetroot.

"Third, Harry just had what seemed to me the worst possible nightmare ever in his entire life. I could not bear seeing him shouting and tossing in his bed, and you, Mr. Weasley, were snoring as if nothing had happened. I had to do something to stop his nightmares and I did what I thought most appropriate."

"And finally, my dear brother, as I was lying behind Harry and not vice versa, we could not possibly have done anything nasty, could we?" she looked at him with her most innocent, don't-blame-me-I'm-and-angel look. Ron snorted and rushed out of the room, happy to have finally gotten rid of the Great Inquisitor.

"He needed to be put in place, didn't he?" asked Harry, eyes still closed, who of course heard everything.

"Hey love, are you awake?"

"Try to get some sleep with this yelling around," laughed Harry. Then he turned to face her. They lay so close that he could feel her breath on his lips and see his reflection in her bright brown eyes. This was such an amazing moment, he thought, having the very person he loved most at such a close distance, that he struggled to breathe and felt his heartrate increase. Then he kissed her, slowly and intimately, their kiss becoming more passionate by the minute. After what seemed to them the best snogging session of the century their lips parted and they slowly tried to regain consciousness.

Harry was looking at his girlfriend as if he could not get enough of her. That was true; after they had rediscovered their love and understood there would be no more Voldemort or Horcruxes standing between them, they couldn't be separated from each other.

"Ginny, what are you actually doing in my bed, by the way?" he enquired, not because he was not happy with this event, on the contrary.

"Well, you did not seem to mind it until five minutes ago, did you?" she teased him back. "I needed to see you as soon as I could because I wanted first to talk to you about last night. I had a stupid dream and then something weird happened to me," she started her tale, retelling everything she remembered from the previous nigh's events. Harry was listening with attention until she finished her story.

"Now tell me what happened to your magic?" he requested.

"Well, I can do wandless magic and nonverbal magic as well. I could do neither before. And then… one more thing. I came up to your room this morning because I wanted to talk to you about this, but I saw you were having a nightmare. It seemed like… my hands started to glow and I felt warm. I put my forehead against yours and your nightmare seemed to end and you fell asleep. Does this phrase mean anything to you?" She recited the words she was hearing in her mind.

Harry thought for a while, then something came into his mind. "No, it's completely and utterly senseless," he thought. "It can't be, it's just a Muggle song."

"Gin, how crazy it may sound, I have seen the same dream. This can't be simply a coincidence. The dungeons, the snakes: it's Slytherin attributes. The only difference is that in my dream there was laughter. I have heard that voice hundreds of times. I'm sure it was Voldemort´s voice and sounded as if he was very happy or celebrating something."

"In my dream he was crying as if he lost something or maybe he was in pain," she nodded.

"Gin, it fits all together. You received – under circumstances I don't understand – enormous power, as it seems. It's very well understandable that someone feels upset about it, even if this someone lies now somewhere six feet under in an unmarked grave protected by all possible wards from Muggles and wizards alike. Actually, there's only one person, who knows where it is. As for my dream," he continued slowly and looked into Ginny's eyes, "he has every right to be happy. I've lost my magic, love."

"Harry, that's impossible! I have never heard of anything like this before. You can't simply have…"

Harry simply raised his wand, which felt cold and different in his hand, and pointed it towards the desk. "_Accio quill and parchment_!" Nothing happened as he expected. "_Lumos_!" No change.

"Here, Harry, try mine!" handed over Ginny her wand. Harry tried again, and again with no results. "See? Time for celebration, I guess," he said bitterly and turned away from her.

"Harry, wait. I'm sure there's a solution to this. Let me think!" went Ginny suddenly into planning mode, normally Hermione's trademark. "First, we need to talk to my parents. Then I'll floo Hermione and ask her to come back to the Burrow."

"Seriously, Gin, she's just got her parents back. Give them some time together. Let them catch up a bit, I'm sure she has a lot to tell them and they will need time to digest everything what happened since last summer. For God's sake, they are Muggles, it will take them ages tp get back to normal."

"Then I will simply owl her and ask for her opinion. She must have read something in one of her million books you and I never even heard of." She was determined not to give in.

"You know her, she will apparate here the next instant she gets your owl. Let's owl Professor McGonagall instead and ask if we could visit her at Hogwarts, maybe she or the other professors can find out something. Ask her permission to use the library as well; we might need to dig into some books." Harry stood up, went up to the desk and scribbled a couple of lines on a piece of parchment. He read it through and handed it over to Ginny.

"Does it sound familiar to you? Have you ever heard or read this?"

Ginny read the parchment twice, slowly and aloud. Then she looked up to Harry. "No, dear, does not ring a bell to me. Where did you get it from?"

"There is this rock group, a Muggle band called Iron Maiden. My cousin Dudley was a huge fan of them and used to go to their concerts with his gang when they were in London. This is the text of one their songs, Dudley used to listen to it a lot last summer. In fact, a really good song."

"You mean, something like the Weird Sisters?"

"Exactly, but in the Muggle way."

"OK, but why did they have to name themselves 'Iron Maiden'? Is it some tough witch they're named after?" As she was not familiar with the Muggle world, Ginny had absolutely no idea.

"Oh no, Ginny, the truth is even more interesting," laughed Harry. "The Iron Maiden was actually a medieval Muggle means of torture. Keen on the details? Pretty nasty, I'm afraid."

"OK, spare me the details. I still don't understand how it all comes to me."

"I guess this is what we have to find out, isn't it?" asked Harry and kissed her with passion, not willing to let go of her.

"Harry, we'd better get downstairs before we get any unwanted visitors. Not that I do not enjoy you and your company and it feels just so ... right being here with you, but you know my Mum, she'd go mental seeing me in here while you are busy checking out my spare parts. I guess your toast and tea are still fresh and warm, courtesy my tiny Preserving charm, so you might just as well have breakfast here, but afterwards we WILL need to talk to Mum and Dad about tonight."

"Right you are, as always," sighed Harry as he jumped out of bed to visit the bathroom.

****************************

Twenty minutes later the whole family was downstairs in the kitchen. After greeting each other Molly discovered the pile of sandwiches – at least what Ron had left over - and the still smoking hot teapot. Ginny admitted she was up early and had made enough breakfast for everybody. Breakfast went in a good mood, George was joking about the advantages of Ginny's new cooking carrier and everybody was choking with laughter. Normally Ginny would easily lose her Mollyish temper, today she was only absentmindedly smiling at the jokes. She could not wait until breakfast ended and stood up first from the table.

"Mum, Dad, could Harry and I have a word with you in private?" she asked. She saw Molly's eyes narrowing.

"Ginny, have you…."

"No Mum, this has nothing to do with us being together, and no, we haven't, as we promised to you."

"We do appreciate that you two keep your promises, don't we, Molly?" said Arthur warmly. "Ok, sit down and speak up, what's on your minds?"

Ginny cast an Imperturbable charm on the door using her newly acquired skills and the curiosity on her father's face did not skip her attention.

The two retold their stories again, trying to recall each and every small detail. In the meantime they were watching their parents' faces, which most of the time displayed shock and disbelief. When they finished, there was silence for a while, then Arthur started talking.

"What you've just told us is both interesting and alarming. Losing one's magic is a rare event, but not unheard of. Events like a personal tragedy, a serious illness, or having performed a great number of complex magical exercises in a short time may all lead to temporarily depleting one's magical reserves."

"Tonks was unable to morph for quite some time after Sirius's death," recalled Ginny observing her boyfriend's face who just pressed his lips together and said nothing.

Her father continued. "You are quite right, Ginny. Moreover, this is a reversible situation, and most of the cases need simply time to reverse. I'm sure it applies to you as well, Harry."

"I would not be so sure about it," snapped Harry against his will, then stopped. The last thing he wanted is to offend the Weasleys with his roughness, his situation was none of their fault and they wanted to help him. He saw Molly smile at him assuringly and Ginny placed her hand on his. He felt a bit better.

"Now, gaining magic overnight is something different, I should say," Arthur went on consequently. "Spontaneous magic is learnt to be tamed and controlled as children with magical abilities get proper education. Your case, Ginny, does not seem a spontaneous outburst of magic to me, rather a new level of performing your existing magic. After the Battle, everybody was sure that Voldemort was finished off courtesy to you, Harry. No, please don't interrupt me, it's thanks to you that we were freed from his regime and were able to pick up and live our lives again. It seems to me though that we were too early to celebrate. We know Tom Riddle was no ordinary wizard, maybe he was the most powerful wizard after the Hogwarts founders. So it might just as well be true that he has left us some surprises. After all, no one could have guessed that he had made all those Horcruxes if Dumbledore hadn't been following his wizarding career so close," Arthur finished and took a sip of his drink.

"And then there is … this…" handed Harry the parchment over with the verses. Molly and Arthur read it carefully through and then looked up. "What is this? Where did you get it from?"

"Well, this is a song text of one of the Muggle rock groups," started Harry cautiously, knowing Arthur's fascination with everything Muggle-related. However, this time the older wizard listened to him very carefully, weighing each and every of his words. "Ginny told me she had heard some of these words last night in her head. She has never heard of this group, so she could have impossibly gotten in touch with this text before."

Arthur closed his eyes and thought for a while. Molly watched him and went through the text once again. Suddenly she suppressed a shriek and pointed to a piece of the text.

"Arthur, do you remember when I was pregnant with Ginny and visited St. Mungo´s for the usual checkup? The Healer said that it would be a boy again and I cried two days in a row, because I wanted a girl so badly." It was a bit of a surprise for Ginny, as she never heard her parents mention this.

"Then, when you came, and had all attributes of being a wonderful little girl," said Molly, and smiled at her youngest, "I felt such a great relief and happiness, that I cried two days in a row, again. Fabian and Gideon were so happy to have finally a baby girl in the family. Unfortunately, they were killed shortly afterwards, so they could not see what a fabulous child you've grown into."

"Thanks Mum," muttered Ginny turning red; she was not used to getting such compliments from her.

"Then there's one more thing. I had six brothers as well," said Arthur. "My father married twice, from his first marriage he had four sons, your uncle Bilius being the oldest, but his wife died in delivery. He remarried four years later, and I was the next child to be born to him. Percival is two years younger than I, Michael is four years younger. This 'unbroken line' could just as well mean the Black family existing over 800 years now, to which the Weasley family is related."

"So does it mean that this mythical 'seventh son of the seventh son' should be or rather should _have been_ me?" asked Ginny, who was stricken with all these news she was until now totally unaware of.

"Well, I don't clearly see why a Muggle rock group should write a song about you," responded Harry.

"Thanks Potter, don't I deserve even this tiny bit of fame?" teased Ginny.

"No, this is not what I mean. The question is WHY would they do it? Did the songwriter have a vision? Is he a Seer himself without even knowing it?"

"Probably one of Sybil Trelawney's distant family members," laughed Ginny and Harry could not help but laugh as he pictured their Divination professor and his rock musician cousin. His dislike to the art of Divination was widely known, one of the main causes being Professor Trelawney's predictions of Harry's premature death on a daily basis.

"And then there is 'evil…trying to manipulate' thing," returned Ginny to the text and the four of them came to the realization in an instant.

"The diary! VOLDEMORT!"

"No…that can't be…but it fits perfectly together!" said a somewhat devastated Molly.

"Mum, Dad, I need to confess something," muttered Ginny uneasily. "I woke early this morning and I wanted to speak to Harry over what had happened, so I went up to his and Ron's room. Harry was having a bad nightmare again. I saw my hands…glowing and I felt warmth radiating from them. I touched Harry's face and heard these words in my head and Harry's nightmare ended in an instant. What is this 'healer' thing all about? Am I a healer then? Am I THE healer?"

"Honey, we don't know. We will have to talk to Kingsley; he may ask some of the Unspeakables to talk to you two, and definitely make an appointment at St. Mungo´s to have you both checked up. We have to show this text to them as well, as I doubt all of it is merely coincidental. Honestly, I do not know what made you to gain magical power and Harry to lose his, but if magic – especially dark magic – is involved, the Minister should be the first one to learn about this. Harry, why don't you try my or Molly´s wand and see what's happening?" Arthur offered.

"Thanks, Mr. Weasley, but I've already tried mine and Ginny's and … nothing. I can't be any Squibber at the moment, I'm afraid. But if you insist, I will try." And he did, without even the smallest possible reaction from either wand. They both felt cold and lifeless in his hand as if they were carved from marble.

"We also wanted to speak with Professor McGonagall, maybe with Flitwick and Madam Pomfrey and also look up things in the library, so we just thought of owling her and ask her permission of flooing to Hogwarts," took Ginny over to ease Harry's discomfort, seeing that he was on the brink of a breakdown.

"That's a brilliant idea, why don't you two take a walk outside or write your letter, while your mother and I arrange things?"

"Will do, Dad," she responded eagerly, happy that the inquisition was over. She felt rather uneasy for Harry as she understood what a huge hit it must have been to him to lose all his magical power. They stood up; she took Harry's hand and led him outside to their favourite place on the shore of the small pond, where they liked to hide when it was too many people around them. They barely opened the door to step outside, when they heard Arthur's voice again.

"One more 'Mr. Weasley', Harry, and I will Imperius you to call me 'General' or 'Sir'. I would simply prefer 'Dad' and I daresay Molly would be more than happy with 'Mum'," he suggested, winking at his wife. Harry found the carpet suddenly very interesting and could only mutter "Yes, Dad." He totally missed Ginny's loving glance at his parents through her tears of joy for her boyfriend, who finally had the parents he was longing for his entire life.


	3. Dinnertime Stories

"This is the twelve o'clock news on Wizarding World Daily" poured the well known voice of Lee Jordan from the wireless. It was very well known that he was the driving force behind Potterwatch and was doing a terrific job there, so after the Battle he had several job offers to choose from. "First of all, unfortunately, news, from the category "never again". This morning, the lifeless body of William Porter, a Muggle rugby player of the Chelsea Devils was found in his apartment in East London. According to his neighbours, his girlfriend, a certain Patricia Priestley disappeared without a trace. The Muggle police arrived at the crime scene shortly after 9 am and two Aurors have also been dispatched, disguised as Muggles. They have already managed to conduct some initial investigations. What we know now is that there is no apparent physical damage to the body, so it looks like he was murdered using the Killing Curse. We had hoped Muggle killings would never happen again, but it seems some followers of Voldemort are active again. We pray for Mr. Porter's soul and that this remains an isolated case and the murderer is found quickly. The Swedish Minister of Magic…" Molly switched off the wireless.

"Who on Earth would use the Killing Curse on a Muggle?" asked Ginny, who together with Harry helped Molly with the cooking. Harry did not mind at all that he was put to kitchen duties, actually he enjoyed every minute he could spend with Ginny, even under the vigilant supervision of Molly. He had to admit that Mum did not really do her best guarding them, and she regularly happened to look the other way when they kissed (which happened quite often, to be honest). Only in the occasions she thought the two would need some oxygen did she remind them of her presence with a discrete "khm khm".

"I don't know, love. Maybe he wasn't a faithful type. Or he had some enemies. Or some sports related dispute. I just hope his girlfriend is all right," answered Harry, who did not at all like the possibility of Death Eaters at large again; especially that he was not able to use any magic at the moment.

"What if his girlfriend is a witch and it was she who killed him and then disappeared?" asked Molly, certainly interested in this possibility.

"Nice conspiracy theory, Mum," laughed Ginny.

"Nothing to laugh about, Ginny," replied her mother. "The poor man is as dead as he can be and you are joking about it. One thing is sure: whoever it was, he or she had just earned a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Gawain will make short work of it."

"Who is this Gawain? It's not the first time his name comes up," inquired Harry.

"Gawain is Gawain Robards, Head of the Auror Department. He was in Gryffindor, one year younger than Molly and myself," recalled Arthur, who in the meantime entered the kitchen."Tough boy, worked himself into many trouble and spent half of his time at Hogwarts in detention because of his fights with the Slytherin gang. Many noses and fingers were broken, and not necessarily all wandwork. From his fourth year on he never had a chance again for a good fight, because the slimeballs simply walked out of his way, even five to one, such a reputation he had earned himself."

"Arthur, language!" hissed Molly, but her husband took no notice.

"What is it about Gawain?"

"A Muggle was murdered in East London and most probably with the Killing Curse."

Arthur turned dead serious in an instant. "Let me talk to Kingsley right now and see if he needs me. I will mention him that you two want to talk to him about tonight as well" he spoke while throwing some Floo powder into the fireplace. "Seagull Nest!"

"Seagull Nest? Conspiracy, huh?" sneered Molly.

"Hello Arthur, what's up?" appeared Kinsley's head in the fireplace.

"Just heard about the Muggle killing. Need me there?"

"No, no, Gawain himself is there disguised as a reporter as well as four other Aurors. Enjoy your dinner with your family. What are the children cooking?"

"Hungarian Goulash soup and steak and kidney pie will be on the menu, when those two finally stop snogging. Any plans for dinner? You might just as well come and join us. Weird things happened to the kids last night and they want to ask your opinion," joined Molly the conversation.

"Molly, leave them be. They are good kids and very much in love. Besides, snogging doesn't hurt and those two of all have earned a bit of happiness."

"Arthur, I am very happy for them. I love Harry as my own son and he does really care about Ginny. Now, Kingsley, are you coming, or not, before Ron eats your portion as well?"

"Coming, coming, would not want to miss your cooking, Molly," laughed Kingsley as he stepped out of the fireplace and Scourgified his robe with his wand.

"Hallo, Minister!" smiled Ginny and Harry to their friend. When among themselves, they usually called him by his name, but at the same time they enormously respected and silently admired this gentle and yet very powerful wizard. Ron also joined them. He was fixing the old broom shed and de-gnoming the garden the whole morning, but the smell of the dinner seemed to put out his enthusiasm.

"Good to see you lot, as always," the Minister said as they shook hands and he directed them to the sitting room. "Let's talk now, if you don't mind, I wouldn't want to hurt your mother with discussing business at the table, while enjoying her first class dinner."

"So you are afraid it would be your very last dinner invitation then?" laughed Ginny openheartedly.

"I must admit that this would be a rather unlucky event," responded Kingsley bursting into laughter as well. "Come on, speak up. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well, hopefully yes," started Harry and repeated the same story again, the third time that day. Kingsley seemed concerned at the news that both were having Voldemort in their dreams and his concerns got just bigger as Harry mentioned having lost his magic. Ron was listening in mere disbelief.

"Ginny, could you show me some of your new skills?" requested Kingsley with a very serious face.

_"Cryo!"_ pointed Ginny to a glass, and the water inside turned into ice in an instant. "Oops, I don't remember having learned this charm at all. How is it possible that I can perform it?" she demanded.

"Another puzzle to be solved, I guess," answered Harry.

"You mentioned wandless magic. Is it also new to you, or have you been practi…" Kigsley stopped halfway into the sentence as he watched his Ministry robe turn into the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch form. "Impressive, I should say. Now you, Harry. Let me just do a quick checkup on you" and he drew his wand. He moved it in a complex pattern over Harry, while muttering a long incantation. The wand emitted a single huge golden spark at the end.

"Harry, the good news is that your magical core is still there. The bad news is that you have somehow lost connection with it, therefore unable to use it." he concluded.

"Tell me something I don't know, will you?" barked Harry at him.

"Here's what we will do. Come see me tomorrow morning at the Ministry, I will ask someone from the Department of Mysteries to drop by, he will do a thorough checkup on you. I also want you two to start a sort of diary and put down anything concerning your magic. Ginny, I want you to write down any charms or hexes you were using and how you performed them. Do you think you can do it?"

"I will have an easy task then," sneered Harry.

"Harry, I know it must come down hard on you but I am sure you will have your magic back." Kingsley understood what Harry must have been feeling. "I will do everything to help you, it's the least I can do for you. Now, if I'm not mistaken, dinner is ready. Let's try your snog soup while we can." He poked them in their ribs, enjoying seeing the two turn red.

"Harry, will you visit me in Azkaban if they sentence me for hexing the Minister of Magic into oblivion?" wondered Ginny and the chorus of laughter of the others suggested her there was no need to worry about this possibility.

As there were only six of them at the Burrow, Molly laid only a small table. She levitated the cauldron with the soup over the table while Ginny filled each plate with a generous amount of the thick, steaming soup with a simple Filling charm. The delicious smell rising from the plates was met with eager anticipation, and for a short while nothing but satisfied Ohh's and Ahh's and Mmm's were heard.

"Mum, where is this Goulash thing coming from?" inquired Ron, who finished his soup in a record time. "I don't seem to recall you have ever cooked it before."

"Actually, three years ago a delegation of the Hungarian Ministry of Magic visited England and there was also one member of the Wizard-Interaction Muggle Committee I had some talks with," answered Arthur. "He was so kind to give me the recipe. I remember, big guy, big moustache, loved to cook. Only he didn't speak a word of English, so we had to use an Instant Translation Charm to be able to talk."

"It's excellent stuff, though," mumbled Ron, who'd already started on his second helping, but all of a sudden choked on something and turned red.

"Sorry dear, I forgot to warn you about the Hungarian red pepper they use for seasoning," explained Molly as-a-matter-of-factly and lazily pulled her wand. _"Anapneo!"_ The small chili pepper jumped out of Ron's throat in an instant. "They look pretty harmless but they are extremely hot. Mr. Kiss was so kind to send a small supply of these grown in her mother's garden."

Harry smirked under his nose. To him this small innocent red pepper was pretty much similar to his Ginny. "Red, looking harmless, but hot, huh?" he thought and cast a glance at her sitting opposite him at the table. She was discussing something with Kingsley but must have felt his glance, because she turned to him and sent him her trademark smile. "Oh yes, definitely damn hot," he went on musing by himself.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Somewhere on the outskirts of Bath, not far from the Roman ruins, there was a small pine forest. Parkinson Manor was located in the middle of the forest, conveniently hidden from the prying eye. It was built about 300 years ago by his first owner, who did not want a huge house for his family; it had two floors, eight bedrooms, three bathrooms, two dining rooms and a formal ballroom accommodating 60 to 80. This man was widely known of his very expensive and exquisite taste and some chambers of the manor would not misfit any museum, it was so richly decorated.

Currently the manor was inhabited only by Daphne Parkinson, Pansy's mother, as Pansy herself had moved out and George Parkinson, her father, was declared missing after the Battle.

Just like in Ottery St. Catchpole, here was also a dinner going on, but in a totally different atmosphere. The table in the small dining room was laid for two and the two persons at the table were Daphne and Pansy. There was not much talk done for a while. Then Daphne put down her fork, sipped some of her favourite wine from the heavy crystal glass and looked at her daughter.

"Now, if you would care to tell me where on earth you have been in the last two months. You left here without leaving me your new address and even my owl can't find you."

"Nothing special, Mother." she reluctantly answered in an emotionless voice. "I spent a week at Millicent's, then I rented a small flat in Muggle London."

"Can I hope that you still take your NEWTs and finish you education or are you planning to find a Muggle job as well, you know, bartending, dishwashing, cleaning? " The question was meant to be rhetorical, but Pansy could not miss the acidity in her mother's voice. She barely frowned and listened. "After all, what other job can you expect without proper education? There are currently positions open at the Ministry but they expect a diploma." her mother went on.

"Come on, Mother, wouldn't I look foolish applying for a job inside the Ministry with this "purification" going on there? They are laying people off, replacing them with theirs, and just everybody there seems to eat from Potter's hands." she snorted and with a disgusted face stood up from the table. She went up to the fireplace and sat into one of her favourite armchairs. She took a Muggle glossy and absentmindedly flipped the pages.

"So you prefer doing nothing? Is this what you want to do with your life?" Daphne's temper started to rise. "It seems to me that you spent seven years, seven productive years of your life with thinking that being in Slytherin alone without even raising a finger would make you a career. Or was being a prefect terrorizing first-year Gryffindors your primary career choice? I was Slytherin myself but sometimes I'm disgusted with you."

"Now that's enough, Mother. Spare me your well-rehearsed educational speeches. I'm of age and free to do whatever I prefer." Pansy snapped, her eyes dangerously narrowing.

"Language, Pansy. In my home – since you decided not to call this place anymore your home – it's I who decide what will happen. Even you are of age, as you so delicately tried to bring to my understanding, I am still your mother and I am still responsible…."

"ENOUGH, I said!" she stood up and threw the glossy on the floor. There was so much energy in this single word that it caused the heavy crystal glasses fall from the table and shatter to myriad tiny particles before even reaching the wooden floor. She walked up to her mother, her eyes burning, her hands shaking as she desperately tried to control her magic which seemed to overflow her. Daphne seemed terrified with the change of her daughter's appearance. She backed one step, then another one. "Soon, Mother, all will change and you'll never ever see that stupid little girl in me again. That I can promise." She turned around and started towards the entrance hall.

"Come back this instant! I'm not done with you yet!" screamed her mother.

Pansy lazily turned around. "Yes, you're done for today, Mother." She made a pushing movement with both her hands and Daphne was pushed a good five steps back by an invisible force until she made a loud contact with the table. The table smashed and Daphne went smoothly down onto the floor, unconscious.

"Joey, send her to Mungo´s and fix the place up!" she called the house elf and without waiting for the response or even looking back at her mother slammed the entrance door shut behind her.

* * *

A/N:

Before you ask, yes, I'm Hungarian. I simply NEEDED to put in this small shameless campaign of the Hungarian cuisine. I love to cook and Goulash is certainly my favourite. I can even send you some world-famous Hungarian paprika with the recipe :)

The charm _"Cryo"_ Ginny admits she never learnt derives from the Greek word 'cold' _[κρύο]_.


	4. Letters, Letters, Letters

Minerva was enjoying her afternoon coffee, sitting in her favourite armchair on the veranda of her cottage. It was perfectly situated in a beautiful forest at Rowardennan, on the shore of Loch Lomond. From her veranda she had a magnificent view on the lake and the hills on the opposite shore, where the lake was less than half mile wide. Even at her age, she enjoyed swimming over every morning to the small peninsula of Inverbeg. Sometimes she played with the thought how her students would react seeing her diving into the crystal clear (and even in the summer pretty cold) water in her old fashioned swimming suit. She let a smile form on her face as she thought of some of her favourite students (if a Professor and Headmistress is allowed to have any favourites at all) and she hoped they were able to enjoy their summer just as she was enjoying hers, the first one in so many years, far from the tragedies of the past and the hassles of the present. As she was submerged in her thoughts she missed the arrival of a beautiful owl, which sat on the armchair on the other side of the small table and waited patiently. A couple of minutes went by, then the owl hooted anxiously and Minerva opened her eyes.

"Good day to you, my friend. Have you got a letter for me?" she inquired as she summoned some treats for the bird. The owl nodded once. Minerva was taken slightly aback by the unexpected reaction of the bird. She carefully untied the scroll and treated the bird to some more food. She unfolded the letter and read it carefully, instantly recognizing Harry´s messy handwriting.

_"To the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

___Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Dear Professor McGonagall, _

_Please do excuse us for disturbing you during school holidays, but we felt you must be informed. Ms. Weasley and I have experienced some weird changes around our magic recently and we would like to ask for your kind opinion as to dealing with these changes. Therefore we ask for a possibility to meet you in a place and time convenient to you, in private, if we may request._

___Awaiting your reply, we remain, _

_Sincerely yours,_

_Ginevra Weasley & Harry Potter"_

When she was done with the letter, she read it once more, then closed her eyes again. "Merlin, what had happened to them, again? Will they ever be able to live a normal teenagers' live? Will it ever end?" she thought. Then there was this word "weird". "It should not necessarily mean 'bad'" she was comforting herself. "Is Harry expecting an answer right now?" she asked the bird. He shook his head. "I guess the sooner I answer, the sooner we find out what's going on, so I will have to ask you to wait while I get this letter ready." she went on, and the bird nodded understandingly. "Amazing creatures, they never stop to surprise me" she thought as she fondingly caressed the bird's head which he didn't seem to mind at all. She made her way into her study and grabber her quill and a clean sheet of parchment.

_"Dear Ginevra and Harry,_

_Hope you forgive an old witch the informal tone, but outside Hogwarts you might just as well call me Minerva._

_I am certainly honored that you decided to trust me with your problems and it will be handled with confidence, rest assured. There are some school related questions we could discuss at the same time. Why don't you visit me at my cottage tomorrow? You might want to stay for the night as well, I am sure Molly won't object. The Highlands are beautiful at this time of the year. Enclosed is a one-off Portkey to facilitate your travel here. The password is 'Rowardennan'. _

_See you tomorrow breakfast-time. Take good care of yourselves until then. _

_Minerva"_

She re-read the letter again, summoned a long, white seagull feather from outside and turned it into a Portkey. She tied the small package to the bird's feet and caressed his head again. "Off you go, my friend. Get this letter to Harry, will you?" The owl nodded, then spread his winds and took off. Soon he was nothing but a small spot on the horizon until he disappeared completely. Minerva followed him with her eyes, then sighed. "Hope the kids are OK. Now let's get going, it's been a long time this place has seen any guests and it's in desperate need of a bit of cleaning up."

* * *

"Ginny, look, your owl is here!" called Harry excitedly. After dinner Kingsley left and they went for a swim in the pond. Tired from the swim, they were lying on their blankets, Ginny's head on his breast and she actually dozed off in his hands. Harry was enjoying the peace and her presence, when he spotted the huge owl. Ginny stirred in his arms and woke. "Hello, precious!" he kissed her. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Well, I could get used to falling asleep in your arms every night…" she admitted and looked deep in his beautiful green eyes.

"So could I," added Harry hoarsely, unwilling to move, which earned him a pinch from the owl, who was eager to get rid of his cargo and go for his daily hunting. Harry untied the letter and the owl thankfully hooted and took off. "Good boy, thank you!" Harry shouted before he went out of their sight. "I can't believe McGonagall has already answered. Let's see what she's come up with." and he read the letter aloud.

"Wow! McGonagall is actually inviting us to her place? Can you believe it?" Ginny got really excited. "She wants us to stay overnight as well."

"I don't see why we should not comply to her wish. Let's just hope she has enough spare bedrooms for the both of us." winked Harry at his girlfriend, who began to blush furiously.

"So Mr. Potter is dreaming of not having me in his bedroom, is he?" replied Ginny acidly.

"Well, it would certainly be weird to break our promise in the bedroom of our Hogwarts professor, wouldn't it?"

"Be inventive, Potter, be inventive!" laughed Ginny and bit his left nipple.

"Oi, that hurt, Ginny. What was this good for?" he claimed angrily.

"Be glad it was only your nipple," she planted a kiss on the above body part. Harry gulped and he was short of breath for a second. Then he saw fire in her eyes as she straddled him, her perfect breasts touching his, her bikini bottom pressed against his swim trunk. "My sweet red hot chilly pepper" was his last consistent thought before they got engaged into the hottest snogging experience ever.

* * *

After about an hour there was tapping on the window of Minerva's study. This time it was a small grey owl she had never seen before. She cleaned her hands, which were dusty as she was doing the cleaning the Muggle way, emptying her mind and getting satisfaction from her work. She let the owl in and rid him of his freight. The owl took off immediately; he didn't even accept the treats she placed in front of him. McGonagall unwound the parchment and read its contents.

_"To the Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Professor Minerva McGonagall_

_Dear Professor McGonagall,_

_In the light of the events at the end of last school year all exams were cancelled. For us seventh year students passing our NEWT´s would be extremely important for our career choices._

_Could you please inform me by return owl when and where NEWT examination would take place?_

_Sincerely, _

_Pansy Parkinson"_

"Strange letter. Ms. Parkinson was never a person impressing me with her academic capabilities." she thought. "I never thought she would be ever considering returning to Hogwarts. After all, she was the one to propose delivering Harry on a silver plate to Voldemort and it was her who the whole school stood up against. But if this is her wish, be it so."

She got another sheet of parchment and her quill.

_"Dear Ms. Parkinson,_

_In response to your inquiry let me inform you about the following._

_The Ministry and the Hogwarts staff have agreed that the students failing to take their NEWT's in May should be presented with another opportunity in a hopefully more peaceful atmosphere. Our intention is to postpone the start of the new school year until October 1st. Starting September 1st we plan to hold a three-week intensive preparatory term for our seventh-years and the examinations would be taking place in the fourth week of September. You are very welcome to attend._

_I hope I could give a satisfactory answer to your questions. Please expect an official letter later with more details._

_With best regards,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry"_

She called her owl and dispatched her with the brief. "That being done, I have to remember to bring up this question tomorrow when the two arrive."

* * *

Somewhere an owl is entering a room. A letter is being untied from his leg. The addressee runs through the neatly written lines and smiles "Step one accomplished. We have precisely 30 days."


	5. The Unknown Minerva McGonagall

Harry hated the feeling of travelling via Portkey. Therefore he was already nauseous as he grabbed the feather with his left hand, while holding their bag with their spare clothes and toothbrushes in his right one. Ginny held onto the Portkey and tapped it with her wand while muttering the password. Harry closed his eyes and swallowed. Thank Merlin, the trip was short and they both managed to stay on their legs as they were transported on the shore of a beautiful lake. Ginny's jaw dropped from the astonishment.

"Harry, wow! Look at the hills, they are so majestic. And the water, it's amazingly clean!"

"You are quite right, love, this is really a wonderful place. Why don't we just camp and spend the whole day here?" he teased half seriously, half jokingly.

"First of all, we have an appointment with Professor McGonagall. Secondly, you left Hermione's beaded bag at home with the tent and all camping necessities in it." answered Ginny as she took his hand. "Come on, let's not keep her waiting, she's expecting us for breakfast. Look, the cottage there, it must be hers." she pointed to the one-storey building maybe 300 yards away. It took them only a couple of minutes to walk there, hand in hand. Harry reached for the doorbell, but just before he managed to ring, the door went open and they saw the most unexpected sight. Minerva answered the door, wearing Muggle clothes: simple black pants, white shirt, black V-neck sweater and comfortable black shoes. In her current outfit she didn't at all resemble the strict and much feared Head of Gryffindor House they knew.

"Welcome, my dears. Do come in." she invited the two teens in, who were just standing there somewhat in awe and simply couldn't move.

"What, have you never seen an elderly lady on holiday at her summer cottage?" she teased them with a smile and a happy spark in her eyes.

"Well, yes, but honestly...."

"You haven't expected me being dressed like this, have you?"

"Honestly not, Professor." Ginny was the first to recompose herself.

"There was a time when ... later I will tell you. But first, I am glad you've made it here. How do you find the surroundings? Isn't it beautiful?" inquired the elderly witch.

"This is most certainly paradise on Earth." answered Harry, who still could not put this scene together. "Oh sorry, Minerva, we have some flowers for you, and one of Molly's finest cakes. I've totally forgotten. Where shall I put them?"

Minerva smiled at the thought that Harry finally managed to call her by her first name but said nothing. She led the two to the small dining room, where the table had already been laid for three. After conjuring a crystal vase and putting the beautiful yellow, red and orange roses in it, they sat down and Harry, having received a good "training" from the Dursleys, took immediately charge of taking care of the ladies.

"A real gentleman, are you, Harry?" Minerva laughed, and looked immediately 20 years younger.

"If you only knew, Minerva. He _is_ a real gentleman and I would trust my life to him." admitted Ginny lovingly and her eyes were misty with tears of love as she watched her boyfriend pouring tea in their cups. He blushed upon hearing her words.

"We all would, I think." sighed Minerva. "But let's eat otherwise it gets cold. There's nothing better than a good old-fashioned full English breakfast to start the day with, aye, lads?" There was she, an elderly Scottish lady, spending her summer at her cottage in the Highlands, switching to a heavy Scottish accent.

"My brother Ron would agree with you 100%."

"All Weasleys are good eaters, darling, you not being an exception." marked Harry as-a-matter-of-factly.

"Prat!" responded Ginny between two mouthfuls of fried sausage.

Minerva fondingly watched the two, sitting on either side of her. They seemed to be happy and so much in love. "You might wonder why I invited you here and not to Hogwarts. Well, Hogwarts is being rebuilt right know under Ministry supervision and it's simply a madhouse there. Kingsley promised me to personally see to things, so I took some time free, so to say. And since I'm on holiday, no one will say a word against inviting two of my friends at my place, would they?" They nodded understandingly. "So tell me, how have you been lately?"

"Well, nothing serious. Things are more or less back to normal." started Ginny, wiping her lips with a handkerchief. "Dad, Percy and Bill are back to work, Charlie left for Hungary to study some Horntail colony, Ron's working with George in the shop, Hermione's with her parents to help them restart their lives."

"Are you coping?" asked the elderly witch sympathetically.

"Well, in the beginning it was pretty hard." admitted Ginny. "I used to cry every night after Fred's gone. George would lock himself up in the twin's room for days in a row and would let only Mum in. Now it's getting easier but the pain will never go away, I guess."

"Fred wouldn't want you grief. Remember him as he was, with all his pranks and mischief. He's not gone until we remember him. This is what I said to George and he agreed." added Harry silently.

"Well said, Harry, and I'm speaking from personal experience." started Minerva cautiously. "You know, I have been married once. I met my husband at Hogwarts, we were at the same year. After school we kept seeing each other for a year, and ultimately got married in secret at Gretna Green when we were merely 19. Afterwards Donald went to a Muggle Military Academy. He was proud to have become the youngest Captain ever at the Black Watch, also known as the Royal Highland regiment." She stopped and took a sip of her tea.

"I remember that from History at school" said Harry excitedly. "They were known for their bravery in World War 1 and wearing kilts on the battlefield as the 'Ladies from Hell'."

"That's quite right, Harry." answered the elderly witch. "In 1937 Donald was transferred to the British Embassy in Paris as adjutant to the Military Attaché and I got a teaching position at Beauxbatons. Then we decided to build this cottage for ourselves as a retreat for our holidays and later, for our old days. But war started, the war known to Muggles as World War 2 and to us as the Grindelwald War. Donald was commanded to the front and he died in Sicily in 1943."

"Minerva, I'm very sorry to hear that. He must have been a brave man and it must have been a terrible loss to you." Harry put his hand on the older witch's hand.

"Thank you, Harry, my boy. He was indeed a brave man and I still miss him every day. However, I learnt to deal with my loss and move on, it's only shame that none of our plans would ever come true. I could have handled it much easier if he died in a battle, I mean, soldiers die, this was always the way, in every war. But no, Fortune was cruel to him. You know, he was a Metamorphmagus, a very decent one. One day, they captured a highly ranked Italian fascist officer. Donald volunteered that he would replace him, and as he spoke fluent German and Italian, the choice was quickly made. He morphed himself into the Italian and Transfigured his clothes into the Italian uniform. As he was exiting his tent, some stupid 18-year old got scared at the sight of the enemy uniform and shot him dead before anyone could say anything." Tears were blinking in her eye as she recalled that fateful letter from Donald's best mate Fergus.

"Anyway, I haven't been up here since the year your parents were murdered, Harry, but this year, with Voldemort gone, I felt like visiting this place again. But you haven't come all the way up here just to listen to an old witch's blabber. Why don't you move outside to the veranda and enjoy the view while I clean up here, then I'll join you outside. I believe you have something to tell me." She stood up and the two followed her example.

Harry and Ginny went up to the lake. They found a rock big enough for two to sit on. Ginny pulled off her hiking shoes and socks and lowered her feet in the water.

"Merlin, it's freezing cold. And that in July. Well, the Lake at Hogwarts is not much warmer, it's rather up North." She shivered and put her socks and shoes on again. Harry seemed to be deep in thoughts. "Oi, are you here with me?" she waved her hand in from of his eyes. Harry caught it and planted warm kisses on her fingertips.

"Yes, I'm here, I was just thinking how peaceful all this is. When we were hunting the Horcruxes down, we have been to places like this, but we have never got the time or the mood to enjoy the surroundings."

"It was hard on you, wasn't it, love?"

"Well, I would not lie it wasn't but you had had not the easiest time of your life as well. As for me, the only thing keeping me sane was the thought of you, and the possibility of you and me together if I succeed. It was giving me the strength to hunt and prevent to be hunted down at the same time, to put up with Hermione's poor cooking attempts, Ron's leaving, Hermione being tortured and balancing on the edge of being killed on numerous occasions. But it was very well worth it. I'm so deeply in love with you, Ginny, and so thankful God for your existence."

"You know, love? That was the sweetest thing anybody ever said about me. I love you too, with all of my heart … and body…" she blushed sheepishly. "As for the thanks, you'd better express them to our Mum and Dad, I presume." and she laughed. "Let's go, Minerva is expecting us. You'll get your reward later for being a good boy." Harry smirked. This was promising.

They joined their teacher on the veranda. After having settled down, Minerva became serious. "Now it's your turn. Speak up. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

It was actually boring to retell the same story for the fourth time in a row, but they tried to do their best and not to omit anything. They also summed up their talks with their parents and Kingsley in a few words.

Minerva slowly shook her head in disbelief. "You know, when I received your owl yesterday – beautiful bird, by the way – I was afraid that you would come up with some bad news. Unfortunately, I was not mistaken. There is no answer I can guarantee you at this point. It's beyond my knowledge and I daresay beyond Dumbledore's as well. But let me ask you one thing, Harry. When you arrived here, what did you see at the place where this cottage stands? Did you see a monument in the form of a Celtic cross or the cottage itself? If a Muggle ever wanders here, he would see the cross. Also, you may imagine that this place is obviously very well protected. Did you feel the urge to leave this place? This would be the effect of the "_Muggletum Repello_" charm on a Muggle."

"No, Minerva, I saw the cottage and not the cross. And on the contrary, I felt a strong urge to stay here instead of leaving." remembered Harry, somewhat calmer.

"Then I am pretty sure your magic core is still there, you will need to find another way, however, to make use of it. I guess it's no use for you trying my wand, is it?" Seeing Harry shake his head, she went on. "Did you think about the Elder Wand, if it could work for you?"

No, Minerva, I didn't, I have put it back where it belongs and honestly I'd feel like I never want to touch it again." answered Harry.

"Harry, it's an idea. You have to try it! This might be a good chance for you!"

"Ginny, I don't want it. The history of that wand is…" he snapped shut. This was something he never told Ginny, but it was time to, if he wanted her to understand his objections.

"Ginny, I assume you have read 'The Tales of Beedle The Bard', haven't you?" he started slowly.

"Every wizarding kid did, Harry. My Mum would read it to me every night."

"It's not a tale, Ginny. It's based on three brothers who really existed, the three Peverell brothers, Antioch, Cadmus and Ignotus. Antioch was the first owner of the Elder Wand, Cadmus of the Resurrection Stone, and Ignotus of the Cloak. _My invisibility cloak_. Ignotus was my ancestor and he is buried in Godric's Hollow, in the same graveyard my parents are buried!"

"You are the descendant of Ignotus Peverell?" It was obviously too much for Ginny to digest.

"Yes, I am, from my mother's line. As for the wand, it has a bloody history. Its last master was Dumbledore, who gained the wand's allegiance by winning it from its previous master, Gellert Grindelwald. When Draco overpowered Dumbledore on to of the Astronomy Tower, he became the wand's master without knowing it. Dumbledore, however, was buried with the Elder Wand, so Draco didn't own it. When I took his wand at Malfoy Manor, I became the Elder Wand's master. That's why Voldemort could not kill me in the Great Hall, even if he actually stole the wand from Dumbledore's tomb. The Elder Wand simply would not turn against his true master. If I die a natural death, the power of the wand will be broken and that's what I wanted. Therefore I have replaced it into Dumbledore's tomb."

"Harry, you might still want to consider this option. Take it as an advice, think about it. If any wand ever works for you again, this one will." asked Minerva, examining his face. He nodded in agreement.

"Minerva, I did some homework for Kingsley, and wrote down anything regarding my magic." Harry was thankful to Ginny to move the conversation in a different direction.

"_Accio parchment_!" she thought and the parchment soared into her hand.

"So Ginny, you want to tell me, that you learnt wandless magic and non-verbal magic overnight, as well as performed magic you've never ever learnt?" inquired Minerva in disbelief, after going through her list. "I knew you were very talented with your wand, your talent even earned you a place in the Slug Club. Non-verbal magic is normally material for sixth year, but last year was not a normal year, the Carrows saw to that."

"Yes, Minerva, this is exactly what I'm saying. Besides, I've healed Harry from his nightmares by just touching him."

"Yes, I remember you having said that." She stood up and walked to the fireplace, throwing some Floo powder into the fire. "Professor Trelawney, Hogwarts." The two teenagers exchanged excited glances.

"I thought you considered her a hoax." asked Ginny.

"Oh yes, I still do. Two prophecies in 17 years is too bad a ratio for me to take her seriously." smiled Minerva.

"Good morning, Headmistress, I had a feeling you would contact me this morning." appeared the head of Professor Trelawney in the fireplace.

"I bet you had, you moron." mumbled Harry. Suddenly he heard McGonagall's voice in his head. "I didn't hear that" and he saw the old witch smiling at him.

"Good morning, Sybil. May I ask you of a small favor?"

"But of course, Headmistress. What can I do for you?"

"Do you _Seers_" she put a weird accent on the word "know much of each other?"

"Well, there are not so many real Seers out there, so we certainly know each other." answered Sybil rather proud of herself.

"Do you happen to know a certain Steve Harris?"

"Of course I know him. My great-grandmother had two sisters. One married to a certain Potter, the other one to a certain Harris, who lived in Eastern London. Steve is their grand-grandson and is born the same day I was born."

"Is he also a Seer?" Again that unmistakable irony.

"In our family, dear Minerva, everybody has inherited the talents of Cassandra Trelawney." The Professor sounded a bit hurt at this stupid question.

"Well, thank you, you have been most helpful. Next Monday I will be returning to Hogwarts and we will work on the NEWT schedule."

"Sounds great, Headmistress. Enjoy your holiday."

"Thanks, and the same to you." When the fire turned from green to normal, Minerva walked back to the veranda.

"I guess we didn't become any smarter, did we? Knowing Sybil's capabilities one can not really expect this Mr. Harris be a real Seer." Two heads were shaken as an answer.

"Here's what we do. I need some Hogwarts things get arranged and prepare some dinner. Why don't you two set off for a stroll, it is truly a beautiful day outside. Here are some sandwiches and pumpkin juice for you in case you get hungry. Dress warm, it's the Highlands, it might be chilly." With a wave of her wand the food was packed in a rucksack. Another flick packed two Muggle binoculars. "I will send Patronus to you, when dinner's ready. No, don't object, it won't be impolite of you to take a walk without me. Enjoy yourselves. That way, in the forest, there's a small clearing, you will find plenty of wild berries, it's their season you know."

The two were overwhelmed, they never saw Minerva behave like a mother hen, nevertheless they enjoyed the situation. They thanked her and wished her a good day, then set off in the direction Minerva showed them.

A/N.  
I felt the person of Minerva McGonagall was incomplete in the original books. We know only of her Scottish origins, nothing about her in person. I tried to add some depth to her personage.

I also tried to stick close to historical persons, events and places. The Black Watch is an existing Regiment of the British Army. They did fight in Sicily in 1943.

Gretna Green is a small town in southern Scotland, famous for runaway weddings. Scottish law allowed for 'irregular marriages', meaning that if a declaration was made before two witnesses, almost anybody had the authority to conduct the marriage ceremony. In Gretna Green it was the local blacksmith acting as 'anvil priests'.

Steve Harris is the founder and bassist of Iron Maiden and the author of the song in Chapter 1.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N. Apologies for the poor writing in the beginning of this story. It was my vey first fanfic, written almost three years ago, and I still couldn't find time to give it a proper edit.

They walked slowly, hand in hand, enjoying the serenity of the forest and each other's company. Just about after ten minutes of strolling and small talk they reached the clearing. The sun was shining brightly, birds were singing, a woodpecker was busy with his daily routine. They stopped and Harry threw the rucksack from his shoulder.

"Here and no further. I want to stay here, with you," he said simply, as he turned to Ginny, cupped her cheeks and gave her a healthy kiss. His tongue found the entrance and their kiss deepened as her tongue responded to his probing.

"I want strawberries!" exclaimed Ginny excitedly as they ended the kiss and set off in search of the berries. It took her only a minute to find them. They were literally everywhere.

"Want one, Potter?" she teased as she held one between her lips and turned to Harry. He was more than eager to taste it. After a good 15 minutes of strawberry tasting, laughing and kissing their faces was stained with strawberry juice everywhere, so they stopped to regain their breath. Harry started licking and kissing off the juice from her face, which she thoroughly enjoyed, closing her eyes and letting out small sighs of pleasure, especially after Harry continued on her neck and collarbone.

They were lying on a conjured blanket on their sides, Harry's one hand under her neck, with the other hand caressing her thigh and bum. She did not seem to care; on the contrary, she loved his hand roaming freely on her body. Then they sat up and she raised her hands to enable Harry get rid of her thick sweater, and saw him get rid of his.

She was wearing a short sleeve T-shirt underneath. Harry lovingly watched her girlfriend for a while before resuming kissing her. He was kissing her neck and collarbones again, then moved lower very slowly, inch by inch, until his lips reached her beautiful, perfect breasts. By this time Ginny was breathing deeply as she was enjoying his treatment and her nipples were poking through the thin fabric of her T-shirt and her bra.

She let out a moan. "Don't stop, Harry. This feels so good. You are so gentle and I love your touch and kisses."

Harry was more than eager to comply with her wishes. He kissed her other nipple the same way earning another, louder moan from Ginny, then he pulled out his other hand from under her neck and in the same movement rolled her to her back. His hands found the rim of her T-shirt and slowly pulled the fabric up, exposing her naked skin.

He went down kissing her stomach, every square inch of her delicate young skin. Then he moved upwards with the fabric and his kisses. Ginny pulled up for a second and got rid of the T-shirt in one movement, while Harry reached for the bra clasp and undid it, while roaming his tongue in her mouth. Off went the bra and Harry stood astonished at the view of her perfect breasts. She laid back and pulled his head on her chest.

"Kiss me as you never kissed before, Harry," she sighed in exasperation. And he did. He caressed her breasts, her stomach until her breathing got shallow and ragged. Then he went down and unbuttoned her jeans. She raised her hips and got rid of them. Harry touched the fabric of her knickers and looked into her eyes, she nodded in assurance. The knickers were also gone. Soon they both lost their sense for time.

Later, as if in thick mist, Ginny felt Harry kissing her gently on her lips and pulling the second blanket over her.

It took her several minutes to regain herself. "Wow, Harry. I have never felt anything like this before. This was amazing. You were amazing. Gentle and loving. Wow!"

"You taste good, you know, love. And you are truly beautiful."

"Aren't you saying it only because you think I want to hear it from you?"

"I'm saying it because it's the truth, love. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met, ever laid my eyes on."

"You are so kind and I was so selfish. I wanted this moment only for myself and didn't think of you. Can you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, dear. I wanted to make you happy. And, it might have been our first, but certainly not last time we can enjoy each other. So, plenty of possibilities for you to catch up."

"I will. You deserved it. And I love you."

After a while they slowly stood up and stretched. The sun was illuminating her perfect body as she was slowly dancing around Harry; she knew he liked the sight of hers. She also took her time dressing. "Anybody fancy a sandwich? I'm hungry!" she exclaimed.

"Must be the effect of fresh air," Harry smirked.

After finishing the sandwiches and the pumpkin juice they packed the rucksack and set off towards the other edge of the forest, where they saw a small bay. They sat on the shore for a while, watching the small village and the people on the opposite shore of the lake through the binocular. Suddenly Ginny stood up, took Harry's hand and clicked with her fingers. They landed on the outskirts of that village.

"That was the smoothest Apparition I've ever seen. Seems you have mastered Elvish magic as well," admitted Harry.

"I just saw here a bakery through the binocular. I wonder if they have fresh rolls. The chimney was smoking, so I thought we might get lucky," Ginny countered in a rather Luna-ish way.

"Weasley, food is no reason for kidnapping me," replied Harry and poked her in the rib; she only giggled in answer. They found the bakery quickly and bought some warm rolls, Harry paying with the remainders of his Muggle money. Making sure of being unnoticed, she Apparated them back to their previous place on the shore and enjoyed the view and their rolls for some more time.

Suddenly Harry heard a noise and jumped on his feet, pulling is now useless wand. A black cat was watching them carefully from a few steps distance.

"Hello, Professor," greeted Harry, tucking his wand back into his pocket.

"What use of being an Animagus if everybody recognizes you?" claimed Minerva after she changed back to her human form, but her eyes were laughing.

"Your glasses betray you, Minerva," countered Harry.

McGonagall gladly accepted a roll from Ginny, then Harry offered both hands to the ladies and they set back towards the cottage.

"I assume you've enjoyed your walk," concluded Minerva.

"Yes, we did, thank you. We found the strawberries as well," answered Ginny politely and cast a quick glance at Harry. Her boyfriend winked at her, but said nothing.

"Minerva, can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"No, just a second and I'm back. Thanks anyway for offering," was the answer. Just aminute later, Minerva returned, wandlessly levitating a huge bowl. Ginny flicked her wand and the table was laid neatly.

"Mmmm, that smells marvellous. What is this?" she enquired.

"Irish stew, learned from a very good friend decades ago. Basically beef, chopped, and stewed in Irish beer. Muggle one, not butterbeer, they call it Guinness. Tuck in, I should say."

During dinner there was small talk again, on irrelevant things. When they made short work of the stew and the table was cleaned, Minerva summoned Molly's cake, a heavy crystal decanter full of some golden liquid and three liquor glasses.

"Your Mother will get hurt if we don't taste her famous cake, will she? And this is Drambuie, a local liqueur combining Scotch whisky with heather honey and herbs. Careful, it drinks easily, yet it can have an unexpected effect on the unwary," warned Minerva. After she poured some of the liquid into the three glasses and cut three slices of the cake, she raised her glass. "To better times."

"To better times," the kids answered and tasted their drink cautiously. It was sweet, yet strong and pleasantly warmed them as it made its way down.

"Why don't we just get back to your situation?" started Minerva, enjoying her drink. While you were away, I spoke with Dumbledore, Snape and Madam Pomfrey."

Harry nodded understandingly. He closed his eyes as he recalled that day, shortly after the Battle, when he shared the memories Snape left to him – well maybe not the most intimate parts – with Minerva and Kingsley.

___"Professor McGonagall, Minister…" started Harry uncertainly._

"Still Kingsley for you all," said the latter and turned to Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville, who were somewhat puzzled with what was going on. Harry would not say a word the whole day no matter what they tried.

"You keep me addressing like this, Potter and I just as well might be offended. I would prefer Minerva, if you don't mind," added McGonagall, with a hint of a smile.

"Well M...Minerva, Kingsley, and you all, my friends, I asked you here because I would like to do justice to a man, whom we never knew as we should have known. Some of you had known him for a long time, some only a couple of years, but ___never the real person. Only what he preferred that we knew of him."_

He pulled out two vials from his pocket and pulled their contents into the Pensieve.  
"It was ... let's put it this way ... his farewell present to me," he shrugged as he recalled the scene which took part less than 24 hours ago. It seemed an eternity to him. The DA members exchanged glances.

"Kingsley, is there a way to project the memories in the Pensieve so that we all could see them?" asked Harry, as he was trying to hold himself in hands to face it, to relive it, once again, and certainly not the last time.

"_****__Memoriam Revelio____!" uttered Kingsley in his deep voice, as he pointed his wands towards the stone basin. The memories began to swirl, silver and grey and white mist rose from the Pensieve, then suddenly the already familiar playground emerged and crystallized above it, crisp and clear as if they were in some Muggle movie._

Harry watched the memories again as they unfolded, one after one after one, and was barely aware of the reactions of the others. All he saw were the faces of Lily and James, previously seen only on a handful of photos, that night at the graveyard in Little Singleton, and last night in the Forbidden Forest, He suppressed the thought that all of them in the memory are gone, his parents and the Marauders alike and with Lupin´s death the last link connecting him to his parents has been broken. He will have to deal with all these losses afterwards, in due course, there will be time for grief and tears, but he still has work to be done.

Professor McGonagall sat straight, more the old self than ever, barely even breathing as if being afraid of losing her concentration. A single tear left her eye when she first saw young Lily and Snape on the playground. More were to follow as time passed.

The ever-smiling Kingsley forgot his habit for quite a while as he was immersed into the memory. He grabbed the armrests of his chair with an incredible force, his chuckles white, his lips tight.

As for the DA, the reactions were different, quite understandably. They never knew James or Lily, except from the photo album Hagrid has given Harry on his birthday ages ago, as it seemed.

"Blimey, that's you Mum and Dad, Harry!"

"And I wondered how easily we got away with breaking into this office. Thought we were dead meat when they caught us. "

"The Patronus the night at the lake! It was a Doe! It was Snipe's!"

"Tonks' Patronus has changed as well after she fell in love with..."

As the memory ended, Harry looked around. He was struck with what he'd just seen. Has he ever seen McGonagall cry? He could not recall. Well, maybe when she was trying to comfort the Weasleys this morning...or at Dumbledore's funeral…

However, in a minute she took control again and only her eyes could tell about her emotions.

"Well, Harry, I must admit this has shed some light to things which were happening here during the last two years. Your previous Headmaster," she cast a strange glance towards the portrait of Dumbledore, "has some explaining to be done. On the other hand, it's fully understandable that it was the only proper way to do so. No wonder we all here misunderstood Severus and never knew where his real loyalties lie."

Harry, of course, as all the others around the table, heard the last words clearly and he could not suppress a smile. There we go, truth will out, as Mr. Weasley said once.

"Harry, oh, Harry..." Hermione could not continue as she fought her own tears. "I'm so sorry, I understand what it's like for you, to see them, again." She reached out over the table for his hand and took it firmly. "Snape was hard on you, all these years, but he'd protect you whenever he could."

"As he was protecting each and every student at Hogwarts, as he promised. As he was risking his life for so many years leading his double life," added McGonagall.

"He was killed by Nagini because Voldemort thought this way he could master the Elder wand. We saw it happen. As he was dying he gave this memory to Harry," finished Hermione and exchanged glances with Harry, seeking his agreement. She conjured eight glasses earning an approving nod from Minerva for the nice piece of wandwork and summoned a bottle of firewhiskey from the boys' dormitory. Then she turned to the portraits on the wall and in all portraits a glass filled with firewhiskey appeared.

"To Severus Snape, the bravest man I have ever known!" lifted Harry his glass. All at the table and the portraits did the same as they called in one voice: "To Severus Snape!"

"Potter, I have to admit that was quite unexpected. I also do appreciate that you have omitted certain things from your ___little...presentation...I think I owe you an apology for what I've done to you all these years," said a familiar, cheesy voice from the direction of the mantelpiece._

All but Harry jumped on their feet as if shocked with electricity. The voice came from a smaller portrait hanging just above the mantelpiece no one previously took notice of.

"Harry...Severus...What's all this?" asked McGonagall gasping for breath.

"I thought, and Professor Dumbledore has agreed with me, that Headmaster Snape ought to be joining the former Headmasters. So, we transferred one picture of his from the memory to canvas, which can reside here while a proper portrait is being made. Afterwards this one can be transferred to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom, as this was the course the Professor has been longing to teach for so long."

Harry walked up to the mantelpiece. The green eyes found the black again.

"Professor Snape, you don't owe any apologies. I'm honored to have known you," and as he spoke, a glass of firewhiskey appeared in portrait-Snape's right hand. Smiling as he was turning around, he saw Hermione tucking back her wand in her pocket." _  
_  
"The Headmasters are obviously very much upset with these things," went on McGonagall. "There is no medical explanation to what had happened to you and they all agree it was a result of some magical interference from outside. As for your talents, Ginny, they haven't come to you without a reason. Something or someone wants you to be able to counter some kind of imminent danger, which is yet to come; therefore these powers were transferred to you. I want to ask you to exercise extreme precaution, don't try to perform magic you are not aware or sure of, you will not want to have unknown magic backfire at you. I'm sure Ms. Lovegood told you about her mother?"

"Yes, she did," Harry admitted, recalling the day he met Luna in the forest in his fifth year.

_"My mum…she was quite an extraordinary witch but she did like to experiment. But unfortunately, one day one of her spells went badly wrong. I was nine then,"_ he remembered. *

"Mrs. Lovegood wanted to master the ancient magic of the Druids. She was badly burnt when she lost control of the ritual fire she lit. When she was found, she was barely alive and died two days later at St. Mungo's. We could not do a thing for her, only ease her pain."

"Poor Luna," tears appeared in Ginny's eyes, "I never knew about it, she would never tell anybody."

"Harry, now you. We are sure that the events of you being stripped of your magic and Ginny gaining hers are interconnected. You will have to do a series of magical exercises in order to re-establish control of your magic. Madam Pomfrey will send you some potions which you are to take on a regular basis. This parchment," she waved her wand, "contains your exercises. We would like a weekly report on your proceedings. Now, let's talk about your school plans."

"Minerva, I'm not coming back to Hogwarts," poured Harry out, without even thinking. "What is the use of it if I'm unable to use magic?"

Ginny looked at him in shock. "_He is giving in. I have never seen him so desperate and helpless, even when he left me last summer. But I'm here for him. I can heal him. I LOVE HIM !_" she cried out inside.

"Harry, if my being who I am now has a sense at all, I am the one to help you with your problem. You've done for me, us, more then enough. Now it's my turn to take care of you. I will help you with everything I can. Don't give up, darling. For me. For us!" She totally forgot about the presence of Minerva and missed her assuring glance.

"Mr. Potter," she emphasized his name, "this young lady here is absolutely right. Don't give in to desperation. It may be obvious even to an old witch like me that she is very much in love with you and I daresay you feel the same way towards her. You have a pretty good chance to succeed with such a great support. But, I must admit that I will be deeply disappointed if you don't provide me with a good seat at your wedding party."

She enjoyed the sight of the blushing two for a while, then turned serious again.

"Right, where were we? Ah, yes, school. School starts this year on the first of October. Due to the events last year and the Battle, our seventh year students were unable to pass their NEWTs. The school and the Ministry have agreed to provide these students two opportunities. The first would be that these students attend a three-week long preparatory course and passing the exams in the fourth week of September. The second one – should they choose this one – is to join their fellow sixth-year students and sit for the full seventh year together with them."

Ginny got excited. _"____Harry and I, full-time, together! YEAH!__"_ She could not think of any other possible outcome of Harry's decision. However, Minerva was not done yet.

"Several students," and she looked into Harry's eyes at this, "several students will be offered a third alternative. I mean by this those students, who devoted their past school year to other than academic endeavours." She went up to her desk and picked a parchment rather than summoning it.

"The decision of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in conjunction with the Ministry of Magic is the following:  
1. To award Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley, Ms. Ginevra Weasley, Ms. Hermione Granger, Ms. Luna Lovegood and Mr. Neville Longbottom the NEWT grade "Outstanding" in the subject of "Defense against the Dark Arts" for their performance last year.  
2. To award Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Ms. Hermione Granger the NEWT grade "Outstanding" in the subject of "Transfiguration" for their performance last year.  
3. To award Mr. Harry Potter, Mr. Ronald Weasley and Ms. Hermione Granger the NEWT grade "Outstanding" in the subject of "Charms" for their performance last year."

Here Minerva stopped and looked into Harry's eyes. "We, the staff and Minister Kingsley all thought that the mere fact that you three had managed to stay alive and unseen for almost a year, while hundreds of Voldemort's men were after you, was a sufficient proof that you had mastered these three subjects on the highest level. As for the three DA members, Ginny, please consider it as a recognition of your role in the resistance at Hogwarts." Then she went on reading aloud.

"4. To appoint Mr. Neville Longbottom Professor of Herbology, to teach first and second year programme  
5. To appoint Ms. Hermione Granger Professor of Transfigurations, to teach first and second year programme"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Potter, the following point concerned you, but in the light of the latest events we cannot appoint you Professor of Defense against the Dark Arts." Minerva looked up from the parchment. "However, as we still haven't found a proper replacement for poor Professor Burbage, I am glad to offer you the position of Professor of Muggle Studies. After all, you have lived with Muggles and most probably know more of them than any other wizard. The offer is temporary, meaning that you will start teaching DADA as soon as you are fit to it. In the meantime Professor Ronald Weasley can take care of the DADA classes."

The two were speechless. Ginny, who has just finished her sixth year, for getting her NEWT in advance. If Harry were teaching DADA, she would have attended his classes anyway. Harry's feelings, however, were more complex. First of all, he was obviously happy for the three NEWTs. It meant he would have plenty of spare time in his seventh year as he would not need to attend these classes anymore. He was also pleased that the Ministry and Hogwarts trusted him to the teaching of other students. He was happy for Ginny and his friends and at the same time proud of them. He was of course still upset about his magic; he would have preferred DADA as he loved the DA sessions. On the other hand, teaching Muggle Studies must have been easy as there were not so many students taking this class and he could work on his "recovery programme" or simply see more of Ginny at school. "_All in all, this year could turn out quite pleasant in the end_," he thought.

"Furthermore, you need to know the following. Being a Professor at Hogwarts is a great privilege. Professors are granted their own quarters. They are also allowed to leave grounds, when not teaching or otherwise not on duty." Harry was grinning when he heard these words.

"Being a Professor, however, is at the same time a great responsibility. Professors at all times must display appropriate behaviour. They are not allowed to be personally involved with students, nor are they allowed to favoritize certain students or a certain House."

"_Oh, no!_" Ginny's face spoke for her.

"Therefore, Ms. Ginevra Weasley will be appointed Assistant Professor of Charms and will assist Professor Flitwick with teaching the first- and second-year …" A loud thump interrupted her as Ginny fell off her chair in awe.

"Are you hurt, Ginevra?" she asked innocently.

"Well, no….Merlin's pants!" she exclaimed. "_Can it get any better?_" she thought. "_Mum and Dad will be so proud about us!_"

"Your assignment, Ginny, is not a result of your relationship with Harry, you must understand. Professor Flitwick and Professor Slughorn speak in high words of your capabilities and I was also impressed with your talents. Furthermore, your newly obtained knowledge will be a great addition. You will also be granted your own quarters, but it will be completely up to you if you decide to share Professor Potter's." Ginny examined the ornament on her china in embarrassment.

"I don't want you to give an answer right now. By the end of this week we will formalize all paperwork and you will receive an official owl."

"Thank you for everything, Minerva, for the trust in us. Today I feel you are like a second mother to us. I mean you were always there for us at Hogwarts and you tried to shield us from Professor Snape, or that toad Umbridge, then last year, but today was something special."

"Can you keep a secret, you two?" They nodded unison. "When your parents were murdered, Harry, I lost my belief. I was angry with Dumbledore to have left you with those stupid and cruel Muggles. I was ready to kill him with my bare hands for that. It took Dumbledore all his skills to convince me not to go and steal you from the Dursleys' but rely on the protection of the blood magic instead. Had I not listened to him, I could have really become a second mother for you. But in my heart, I have always considered you my son I never got the chance to have."

Harry fell silent. How many secrets did he still have to learn about the first eleven years of his life? Then he suddenly understood. He was overwhelmed with emotions towards the elderly witch, but he could not say anything. He simply went up to Minerva and hugged her spontaneously. He was surprised to feel to have been hugged back, and he could swear he'd heard some sobs.

"I guess two mothers are better than none," laughed Ginny.

"Is it Molly I have to compete with?" picked up Minerva.

"She is the one, our beloved Mother Hen," admitted Harry, with warm feeling towards his surrogate mother.

"We will share you, Harry, don't be afraid," went on McGonagall teasing him.

"Only if I get my well-deserved share as well, Minerva," warned Ginny jokingly.

"We have come to an agreement then, I assume. By the way, yesterday I received another letter from your fellow student, Ms. Parkinson. She seemed very much interested in continuing her education, something I have never expected of her, knowing her absolute lack of interest to any academic achievements."

"What would Pansy want to do in Hogwarts anyway? Isn't she afraid that the whole Gryffindor House would hex her the same instant she comes down for breakfast? I, for one, would have done it if my mother hadn't stopped me," boiled Ginny. She was preparing a very nice and nasty hex for Pansy which would chain her to the ceiling of the Great Hall for that, but Molly _Accio_-d her wand the very last moment before she could finish the incantation.

"This is something I was wondering about as well," admitted McGonagall. "Well, maybe she isn't after knowledge at all and all she needs is access to Hogwarts. With the new security measures no one can ever enter grounds unless he or she has business there. You will be pleased to know that the entrance will be guarded, among others, by a miniature version of the Thief's Downfall courtesy the goblins of Gringotts. This way nobody enters grounds under disguise, Transfigured, Disillusioned or under the effect of Polyjuice Potion. I am not sure, however, how it will react to Ignotus' Invisibility Cloak, though," and pointedly looked at Harry, who calmly answered her glance.

"I see no reason not to grant Ms. Parkinson's wish to continued education, but we might want to keep a vary eye on her," summarized McGonagall. "She will be in my class, in Professor Flitwick's, and Professor Weasley will be also teaching her. So whatever she is up to, we will know. May I only ask you not to repeat anything you have heard here to any of your family or friends, no matter how tempting it may sound. Let them learn it from their official Hogwarts letters."

"No worry, Minerva, we are silent as a grave," joked Harry. Ginny frowned upon hearing this. Harry felt sorry for her. "Sorry, sweetheart, I didn't want to…." he started to apologize.

"It's all right, love," she smiled at him through her unshed tears.

"Minerva, what about sending one of those letters on August 11th?" inquired Harry with an innocent face.

"Why exactly? Oh I see, it's your birthday, Ginny."

"Precisely, Minerva. It will be my surprise from you," she answered with an angelic laugh.

"All settled then. Right, if you want to help me, both of you pick one of Donald's fishing gear and go catch something for the evening. Salmon, you know, won't jump itself onto the frying pan. While it might be seductive just to summon it, fishing might be a good cure to one's nerves, so I suggest you try it the Muggle way. Donald used to love it."

"Yes, Headmistress, Madam!" they answered in unison and saluted her the Muggle way before turning around and making their way to the shed behind the cottage. Hardly they made their way through the door when Harry slammed it shut behind them and caught Ginny in a fierce embrace, kissing her firmly on the mouth.

"Mmmm, I thought you'd never kiss me again," responded Ginny.

"I could not snog you in from of McGonagall, could I?" inquired Harry, as he guided her towards the opposite wall until her back reached it. They went on kissing as her body was firmly secured between him and the wall, she lifted her right leg and put it around him, pressing her groin against his. Harry moaned as he felt her warm body against his, while she captured his earlobe with her lips and sucked on it.

"Ginny, we have to stop, otherwise we will not be able to keep our promise to Mum and Dad," he said hoarsely as he pulled away from the kiss.

"I know, darling, but I can hardly wait. I don't know what you are doing to me, but you always have the same effect on me. I want you so badly. But yeah, I guess, you are right," she hesitantly broke off the embrace. "Last one outside prepares the salmon," she said, grabbed a fishing rod and with a faint "click" Apparated outside to the water.

Harry followed her with another rod in his hands, mumbling under his nose. "Just wait until I get my hands on you. I will teach you how to misuse your privileges."

*******************************

They spent that night in the guest bedrooms on the second floor. The next morning, though, they managed to share a quick shower and they used up much more soap than necessary to carefully wash each square inch of each other, some square inches several times. Once dressed, they packed their belongings and went down for breakfast, still with red faces and a little short of breath.

McGonagall had a small surprise for them in petto, she took them to Loch Ness. Rumour had it there lived a mystical monster in the lake and they saw hundreds of people around, weaponed with photo cameras, wanting to capture Nessie – as they named her.

Knowing Luna was an "expert" in mythical creatures, they decided to ask her opinion on Nessie. Weird as she was, they liked her a lot and considered her one of their best friends. Harry remembered the scene he had seen on the ceiling of her bedroom: Luna had decorated it with five beautifully painted faces: Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. He mentioned this to Ginny and she was very touched about it.

They spent a beautiful day on the shores of Loch Ness, picnicking, chatting, catching up on news with Minerva. Harry was, for the first time in so many years, peaceful and happy, having the girl he loved by his side, and without Voldemort on the horizon. In the evening they Apparated back to Rowardennan, more precisely Ginny impressed McGonagall with her Elvish-style Apparition. Once back at the cottage, they thanked McGonagall for her having them around and said their goodbyes. Then Ginny took Harry's hand again and with a faint 'pop' the two vanished, only to emerge a second later at the Burrow.


End file.
